In Another Life, We Could've Been Forever
by MartengaPop
Summary: The night that Jessamine Kaldwin would remember for her delinquency, would be the night that forever changing the course of her life forever when she accidentally stumbled to an unexpected stranger. Ratings may change in future chapters. Eventual Jessamine/Daud.
**I've just finished playing the Knife of Dunwall and the Brigmore Witches, and the whole time, man, all I could think of was writing a story for Daud since, well, HE IS BLOODY AWESOME (You are awesome too, Corvo, I love you :*). So, since I am huge Jessamine/Daud shipper, and since I've already written about their relationship on my main story, A Noose For the Crow, I thought why not giving this one a shot.**

 **Anyway, I'm sorry if there are errors, OOC, or inaccuracy. I tried my best :/ I also want to give a shout out to my gal, mrscrankypants, who continuously supports me 24/7 though she is in the middle of finishing her Bachelor degree. I'm crossing my fingers that you'll pass with a cum laude!**

 **Okay, enough talking, Imma leave this right here. Enjoy reading, and don't forget to leave reviews.**

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It was the epoch where Dunwall was still seeing its golden days. The early years of the city's industrial revolution, where modern technologies spread vast like the ocean, instantly becoming the city and as well as its citizens' latest apostle. The Empire's political tension was at poise; the economy growth went well due to the increasing revenue from newly grown ventures such as Daiger & Dial Company, Emma's Hardware, Pratchett Warehouse, and even premier whaling slaughterhouses that could be seen starting to thrive and increase in the industrial part of the city. And as for the riches, it was the time where the newly wealthy socialites stampeding every corner of Drapers Ward, where they spent an immeasurable amount of money just to buy the latest high-end fashion for them to infatuated with themselves. Though the infatuation part was something that disinterested young Jessamine Kaldwin.

The daughter of Euhorn Kaldwin had just turned nineteen that year. And the young woman whose hair as dark as the night had always considered a unique and lovable one by aristocrats, and even by the common people. People would always turn their heads to her and smile whenever they passed her by— and it wasn't just because she was the heir to the throne, but there was just something striking about her that people simply adore, hence, when she celebrated her birthday last month, not one single soul in the Isles did not send her greetings and gifts to her way. Whether it was because of her timeless beauty that she inherited from her mother, or simply because of her lively and simpatico demeanor that drew people in, nobody could come up with an absolute answer. But if there was one thing that they were certain of, was that Jessamine Kaldwin was nothing but an epitome of the heart for this beloved Empire. Yes, the Heart of the Empire, she was.

It was a beautiful Saturday evening in the midst of the Month of Seeds, where the woman who had a habit of cheating at Nancy— something that would raise protests from Corvo— was just enjoying a night walk at Drapers Ward in her own solitude. The place, just as she had guessed, was packed with a swarm of zealous shoppers who could be seen pacing back and forth between one store to another with shopping bags in hands. Swathed in their expensive attire and all smelled like an overpriced perfume that strangely reminded her of dried leaves, little did they know that it was their future Empress that was roaming the mall amongst the crowds that night.

Jessamine had her handmaidens dressed her up in clothes that she never wore before in her life. Her father and Corvo would consider it as a rag for her standard, but for her, it was a perfect disguise for the occasion. They put on an auburn colored wig just to cover her long, luscious dark locks; they painted her lips the shade of crimson red just to conceal her pink ones, while her eyelids were the color of blue Iris under the moonlight glow. Though she couldn't seem to recognize herself under this "mask" she was wearing, but in her opinion, she looked strangely as beautiful as the ladies at the Golden Cat.

Then exactly at nine pm, Jessamine Kaldwin snuck out from her chamber with the help of her frolic handmaidens, without her father and Corvo knowing that the little swan was currently roaming free in the streets of Dunwall unprotected.

A bold risk— not that she did not aware of that. First, she could get all of her servants and guards fired, there was also a chance that her father could fire Corvo for being negligent, and then a chance of someone might recognize her underneath this "costume" she was wearing, which could lead to an outcome that she hadn't properly given a thought before, but in that moment, she thought that it all could be dissolved in the next day. For she just wanted to get out of the tower after having to stay at home for weeks. And for visiting a place that was so grandeur and lavish like this; a place that was known for its eye-catching boutiques and expensive retail shops that dominated every corner of this place, Jessamine couldn't help but give in to the feeling, as here was the place that she knew very well.

She stopped by in front a boutique called Atkin Allure. Azure eyes peering from behind the windows in admiration as she could see a woman currently trying on a beautiful deep sea dress that ran down to the bottom of her feet inside the store. Something that instantly caught her interest whilst silently telling herself to get one those resplendent looking dress for herself.

Oh yes, Jessamine had always loved fashion.

Jerome, Elizabeth Atkin, Percy Oliver, Agatha Chesney, they were just some of a few designers that Jessamine could consider superlative when it came to quality and design for attires. Though her most favorite item was shoes. The future Empress had probably about one rather large armoire for her to keep her shoes— yes, _only_ her shoes. Something that made Corvo only shook his head at and jested when one time, she spent almost two hours just to find this one particular pair of pump shoes for this gala at the Estate District.

So it was no wonder that Drapers Ward was the place that she chose for her little getaway trip for that night. Though she wasn't there to shop, but just by looking at these colorful attires and shops was enough to brought smiles on her face.

Withdrawing herself from the window pane, Jessamine decided to resume her tracks, though this time, she chose to head outside to get herself some fresh air— or more like a stroll along the Millenary canal, since the canal was what the place had.

 _Wish they had built a pond in here or something,_ Jessamine thought as she wandered aimlessly.

She found the night surprisingly still. The music and the sound of people revel from the mall was barely audible, as nature was all that danced in her ears. The air hardly made a hiss when they blew a few strands of her hair and the lush trees around her though it felt warm against her skin. Almost reminding her of the breezy coastal air in Serkonos, as she fixated her eyes on the turbid river water. Watching her own reflection with a stilted silence that suddenly came shrouding her lonesome.

For a brief moment there, the night indeed belonged to her only. It was just her and solitude, though if she knew back then that that was about to change in minutes to come. The night that she thought she would only remember for her delinquency, would be the night that will forever change the course of her life as all of a sudden, she could hear a short screech that came from the alley that adjacent whence she stood.

The sound instantly brought Jessamine's utmost attention; she could feel her eyebrows drew together in confusion, head cocked forward as the sound grew more apparent in her ears. And especially when she realized it was a male voice.

Jessamine squinted her eyes for it was almost impossible for her to see vividly due to the minimum source of light in that area. She even took a few steps closer towards the alley's direction, but when she caught two shadows in the darkness, she gasped. For she could see a man seemed to be dragged viciously further inside the alley.

Her head told her not to meddle in whatever was it going on back there. She thought maybe it was best if she should just jog her way back to the mall, and called for the City Watch for help. But even before she could come up with a decision, her ears caught to that awful shriek again. And she decided to throw caution to the wind.

Putting her doubts and senses aside, Jessamine flung herself towards the alley as fast as her feet could take her, whilst snatching an empty wine bottle that she found lying on the solid ground on her way there. No, she wasn't about to go there unarmed.

A part of her knew what she was doing could be considered as mere suicide mission given to her circumstances back then: she was a future Empress in disguise who happened to be roaming the streets all by herself at night, with a chance that her identity could be compromised, and yet here she was about to embark on a rescue mission just because she felt pity over her own citizen that she hardly knew. Though it wasn't naïveté that drove her, it was a sense of duty.

Well, she was a Kaldwin, alright? Whatever happened duty always came first in her family. A trait that no doubt she inherited from her ancestors before her, a trait that led her father shaping the prosperity age back in that day after the end of Olaskir dynasty. The trait that she thought as the wiser side of her, which also one of the things that made people love and respect the hell out of her for that.

It was a robbery that Jessamine found when she had reached her destination. There was this lumbering looking fellow who was cornering a scrawny looking young man that it seemed to be an aristocrat. Cowering against the wall, Jessamine could see how his clothes tattered; his golden hair stuck out in disarray, almost reminding her of reeds in the middle of the Month of High Cold as fear had already dawned on his features, looking as if he could disintegrate in any moment.

With back facing her, she could hear the robber threatening him, his cleaver drawn.

"Gimme your money, rich kid." The robber pushed the cleaver closer into the base of the aristocrat's neck, his menacing face merely inches away from him. "I know you have some underneath those expensive clothes, now do ya?"

"No, please! I'll give you some when I get back home, but please, I spent all my coins on Nancy, I swear it!" he pleaded though unfortunately, it seemed the robber wasn't going to give him mercy.

"Bullshit! You think you can get away with that that easily?!" he snarled, pressing the tip of his blade even deeper into his skin, Jessamine could see a small blood starting to come out of his skin while the aristocrat could only mewl in distress, his pallor had gone worse.

And that was the time when Jessamine chose to take action. Without dally, the young woman quickly launched herself from behind with hand that was holding the bottle raised high to build her momentum. Feeling that she had enough strength within, Jessamine swung her hand and gave a powerful strike to the back of his head. Breaking the base into small pieces of sharp glass in his head.

The action brought the robber to his knees for a momentary stupefaction. The cleaver on his hand slipped away from his grip, his fingers were splaying across his head with a guttural moan that was all that leaving his chapped lips.

Using the given opportunity, Jessamine lurched forward to grab the cleaver from the ground, before she swiftly made a dash to the aristocrat's side to grab him by the arm and dragged his slouching figure to his feet.

"Get to safety, go!" Jessamine commanded him. The man seemed disoriented at first, he still froze in his place with eyes fixating on elsewhere besides hers. Something that Jessamine found it troublesome, she had to rephrase her words louder. "Go!"

And finally, the man obeyed after he seemed to have come back to his senses. His wilted eyes expressing a silent gratitude before he proceeded to give her one quick nod and scurried away. He didn't bother to look back.

It was only the Empress and the criminal then. The back of her mind begged for her to flee the scene and called for help. It kept telling her that it was about time for her to withdrew herself from this obnoxious place, lest she became the one who needed saving. But as just as she was about to pivot away, her movement came to a halt when she could see the robber rose back to his feet with one hand still caressing his head. And then their eyes met. And the apparent abhor on his face only made Jessamine caught up with trepidation.

"You bitch!" he exclaimed. Something that almost made Jessamine jumped to her feet. "You'll pay for that!"

And the next thing she knew, she could see the man launched himself towards her with both of his hands tightened into fists.

 _Uh-oh._

It was frightening for a brief second there, but then all the fear melted away as she had finally found her valor. It was a bold feat at what he did, in her opinion, he must have thought she was nothing but a mere damsel in distress. Though it was a pity that he never knew that she was trained for a sword fight by Corvo Attano, the man who was famous for his exploits, ever since she was fourteen. And if only the robber knew that she was pretty damn good at it.

Jessamine immediately changed her stance, resting all her weight on one leg with body tilted forward whilst tightening the grip of the cleaver in her hand, eyes as sharp as an eagle on him as her face formed into a scowl. Her mind replaying all of the fighting techniques and sequences that her Lord Protector had taught her while calculating his possible moves with each step he took.

But then something happened: the man never came to reach her.

It was then when he was about to deliver a blow to her face, when all of a sudden, the robber fell and collapsed on the solid ground where Jessamine could see a strange looking dart piercing to his back.

What in the world had just happened?

For a moment there, Jessamine could only stare at the unconscious miscreant with her mouth hung open. Her mind was swimming with never ending questions that she couldn't come up with logical answers, as confusion had overtaken most part of her incoherent thoughts. He seemed as robust as a labor just minutes ago, how could this have happened?

Scratching her scalp, she knelt down to carefully poked him in the shoulder, just to make sure if the man was really unconscious. And just as she had suspected, he did not even move a single muscle. Why this is most peculiar.

Jessamine was in the middle of analyzing the situation she was in, when she caught a strange movement there in the darkness that beckoned for her attention. Giving in to her curiosity, she slowly and cautiously turned her head to the left.

"Hello?" she called when she saw nothing. But then nothing turned out to be somebody when Jessamine could see a silhouette of a man staring at back her. And she swore she could feel her breath caught up in her throat and every hair on body stood up at that.

Appeared before her was a shadow that loomed in the darkness. His face was partially hidden under the dim lights, making it vague in her view, though Jessamine could make out the outline of his broad form until he finally took a step forward from the corner to reveal himself to her. And that was when Jessamine met him for the very first time.

He was unlike any man that she'd encountered before in her life, yet he seemed familiar. Like as if she'd ever seen him before, though she couldn't recall ever meeting him before. He looked rather dashing in her opinion; gallant and sturdy, he had a rectangular face with a sculpted jawline that made his face somewhat harsh. His deep, steel blue eyes adhered below his prominent set of eyebrows, accentuating this whole rugged look on him that made it seem as if he was designed to scare people away. Though not her. Instead of turning her heels and ran away, Jessamine found herself stood stock-still. Eyes never leaving his sharp ones as she found herself trapped in his steady gaze.

"Are you alright?" he suddenly asked, breaking the silence that lingered between them.

His voice was even harder for her to describe, it was deep and gruff, yet it strangely sounded warm and comforting in her ears. Something that Jessamine found it quite unusual for a man of his quality. For a man that was hiding in the shadows.

Jessamine nodded as she had come back to her senses. "I-I'm fine," she answered with one hand on her chest. She could feel her heart still palpitating though the tension within her had assuaged. "What did you do to him?"

"I put a sleep dart on him. Should've left him dozed off for a couple of hours before the City Watch apprehended him," the man with the short dark hair answered casually, as he hid a strange looking device that was strapped to his wrist under the distinctive coat he wore, before proceeding to clasped his gloved hands to his back.

 _A sleep dart?_ Well, she had never heard of that one before, _particularly_ seeing that device on his wrist, though she wasn't in care to ask. Her mind was already clouded by this anonymous individual that piqued her most interest.

"Why did you do that? I mean, most people would've killed him instead."

He lifted his shoulder in a half shrug. "I know the fellow. Burke's his name; a street rat when he was a kid, a father to his two daughters, and a labor at Rothwild's slaughterhouse until a week ago." Suddenly, he stopped. His glances diverted to the unconscious criminal with a gaze that she couldn't read before he said again, "I'm guessing the man must be at his wit's end."

"Oh… I-I didn't know that." Hearing this Burke's story, her previous thought that condemning his previous action, gradually turned sympathetic for she knew how hard life was for the common people back in the days. It was sad in her opinion, their economy was at stagnant, yet it seemed there were still people who couldn't afford to buy a loaf of bread. "Well, I guess I'm glad you showed up when you did."

To her surprise, the man snorted upon hearing her remark. "Huh, you're the first to say that," he sneered.

And Jessamine could only keep her mouth shut. Her eyes wandered to the ground below as questions began hovering inside of her head, notably his identity, and this peculiar feeling that told her he seemed quaintly familiar.

Have they met before? Or did she saw him somewhere? Or just happened to pass by at each other? She didn't know. Though she wasn't going to bring that subject to him— _yet,_ maybe at least until she found out who he was.

And as the silence between them began to grow relatively weary in her opinion, Jessamine chose to break it despite how her parents had taught her not to talk to strangers such as he. Though it seemed he was her only disobedience.

"Had I known he was such in dire, I would have…" she trailed off. She thought about telling him how she would escort the robber back to the tower and help him with all of his needs, but then she remembered she was in disguise, hence, she chose to swallow her words back down her throat.

"It wasn't your fault. There are many possible things that he could have done, and yet he chose this." At the end of his words, Jessamine could see the man lowered his head down, his blue eyes were barely visible due to the darkness, as he took a deep breath. It was almost somber in her opinion, it looked as if he was in the middle of contemplating something before he raised his head back again with a small shook. "I have to go. I suggest for you to leave as well before the City Watch arrived."

"Wait!" Instinctively, Jessamine grabbed for his arm to hold him back from turning away from her. He seemed confused for a moment there, judging from the way his eyebrow raised though it seemed he was fine with having her small hands on him. "I— I'm sorry, have we met before?"

And just as she had guessed, she caught him flinching at the question. It was obvious how he didn't seem to expect that question from her.

"We?" he gave a short, mirthless chuckle at that. "No, I doubt that. Unless you live in the slums, I doubt you've ever seen me before."

Was it? Was her mind playing tricks with her? But she swore he looked awfully familiar…

"Well then, care to give me a name?" she asked, her hands still holding him while silently hoping that he would comply, just so she didn't have to go home and had all of her servants and contacts to find this mysterious man. Well, that, if she succeeded.

"Listen, I think the less you know about me the better."

Hearing his reply, Jessamine drew her eyebrows together in disapproval. "That is not the answer I wanted to hear."

"Of course not," he retorted, his expression hardened on her. "But I'm afraid it's the only answer I am giving you, _your majesty_."

Upon hearing his remark, her face dropped as so was her hands from him. She could feel her whole body shuts down at that; her jaw slacked, eyes widened to the point it felt like it could pop to the ground. Sweat starting to form as a sudden bloom of heat began to perch across her face, while terror had already taken her entire visage as she took small steps backward.

"How…" Was all Jessamine could come up with, as everything suddenly became a haze.

How did he know it was her? Was he stalking her? But whilst Jessamine was all tangled with questions and apprehension, the man still maintained the same flat expression. Though he managed to cross his brawny arms over his chest, as he gestured his head towards the ground.

And then he said, "Your wig flew off."

It took her a brief moment to perceive his words. But when she finally seeped them in, the terror in her face transformed into a bewilderment, as she had turned her head to the ground to see the trace of the artificial red hair that had obviously flown away from her head.

"Oh fuck!" she didn't bother to hide her courtesy, as the regal quickly bent over to grab the forgotten wig from the ground. Jessamine proceeded to put the wig back on to her dark hair whilst the stranger could only watch in silence. His expression was scarcely readable, but the way his eyes watching her every moment was enough to indicate that he was staring. Eventually, he must've noticed his behavior, for the man quickly averted his eyes to his boots as Jessamine had finished putting her wig back on.

Suddenly, he cleared his throat. "I'd say you should leave now, your majesty. This isn't a place for someone like you to linger around anyway."

Acknowledging his suggestion, Jessamine nodded slowly. "What about you?" she couldn't help but ask. She didn't know why but the idea of him being caught by the City Watch disturbed her.

The corner of his mouth quirked up slightly at her question. Though it was barely considered a smile that he gave her. "I'll be fine. Trust me, I am the least person you should be worried about."

Well, he looked more capable than taking care of two City Watch officers, alright, so, she chose to drop the subject. Though there was still one matter that still lingered...

"So, you still won't tell me who you are, aren't you?" With eyes full of hope and a wistful smile on her pretty face, she launched her final strike. Knowing that they could part ways in minutes to come, she wasn't going to concede defeat.

He looked as if divided in between shutting her out and giving in to her offer. For a moment there, he looked as if he was about to say something, but then held back, thin lips pressed into a straight line until finally, he shook his head with a heavy exhale.

"No" Was all he said. And it was enough for Jessamine to eventually came to a realization that there was nothing that could interpose between him and his stance. And so she chose to step away.

She thought she wasn't going to leave without a name. It was just his name that she asked of him, a word that consisted of a few syllables of what he referred to, and yet why was it so hard for him to utter? Was he hiding from something? Her wishes to get to know him was merely in good faith, but if he thought vice versa, well, so be it.

"I think it's about time I left," Jessamine announced as she smoothed down her shirt. He was right anyway, it was better for her to leave before the guards showed up. And much to her disappointment, he didn't say a single word in reply. His eyes hardly met hers, as he merely nodded his head.

Ever crestfallen, Jessamine proceeded to turn away from him as she could feel his eyes on her back. Good, she thought. She hoped he would find her departure unsettling.

In return, she didn't bother to shot him one last smile or bid him goodbye, eyes also avoiding his as she began her pace out of the alley with the gloom that obviously had conjured her entire face akin to the grey clouds in the overcast sky. Dimming the sun-like ray that habitually illumined her.

"Daud."

Jessamine was about to make her sixth step when she heard his voice from her six. Her tracks instantly stopped, she turned her head around to him as she couldn't believe what she had heard.

Seriously, did he just…?

"What?"

"My name is Daud." There went that gruff voice again. And judging from the look on his face, it was evident that there was no more hesitation in his face anymore. The adamant that previously clouded his decision had altered to which Jessamine could only feel equally grateful and beyond glad.

 _Daud._ Finally, she had learned his name. She tasted it on her tongue, swirling it on the edge like tasting a fine wine, before swallowing every syllable for the very first time. She didn't know what she would do with that information— heck, she didn't even know who he was, yet it didn't matter. She intended to find out more about him anyway.

Jessamine shot Daud her widest smile. The kind that made the light within her reappeared on her delicate face as she said softly, "Well, it's nice meeting you, Daud."

For the first time that night, he smiled to her. No, not the kind of smile that looked forced or faked. It was genuine. And it looked good on him. Something that causing for Jessamine to once again found herself in stasis; locked tightly in his crescent smile.

"Likewise, your majesty," he replied, ever so courteously.

She held up her hand at that. "Please, it's Jessamine to you," she corrected. Seriously, being called 'your majesty' by him was the last thing she needed.

Daud seemed hesitated at first upon hearing her request, but eventually, he complied as he bowed slightly. "Jessamine."

For a minute there, Jessamine felt if as if her world had stopped in motion. It was only her and Daud back then, momentarily paralyzed as the two entered each other's eyes though that was as far that happened that night. Sharing one last smile, Jessamine eventually turned her head away from him and proceeded to find her way back to the main road in silence. She managed to glance over her shoulder just to check if he was still there, though to her dismay, he was already gone. And the alley once again became a mere dark place that belonged to the solitary kingdom.

The walk back to the mall felt long and distant. And somehow, a part of her wished that their encounter lasted a little longer for there were many questions that she'd been meaning to ask him about. Particularly the one that she hadn't solved yet: that feeling as if she'd ever met him before. But in the meantime, maybe it was best to save them all for another day, if she happened to stumble upon him again, though she didn't have the absolute answer for it. But one could only hope, couldn't they?

Daud. Who knew a woman like her could meet a man like him. Was it a mere coincidence? Or maybe because their paths were meant to cross at each other that night? But as mentioned before, this was the night that forever changing the course of her life, so maybe destiny had their hands meddling in this overture.

That, or that black-eyed deity bastard that watches everything.


End file.
